Knight's Chronicles 1: Black Fire
by DemonHunter1992
Summary: Summary is inside. Rated T for blood and violence. Please write and review.
1. Prologue

**"A soldier not only risks losing life and limb when going to war, but also risks losing his morals, his values, and his soul." **

**Summary:** A young Masked Owlet is taken into the ranks of the Pure Ones and is plunged into a world of violence and hate. As a member of the Union's Knights of Shadows, Trsiden is a soldier who does not believe in the ideals of the group he has sworn alliance to, but obeys every order given to him by the High Tyto. He will commit many wrongs and misdeeds before finding the truth about himself and a life he has yet to live.

**A/N: Callsign Demon Hunter here. First off I would like to give special thanks to my three Beta Readers - Hodgepodge11, Shy Whisper Of Life, and Chubs34. Thank you so much guys for all your time and effort in making this story possible, I couldn't have done it without you guys . Thank you also to all those who have taken the time to read this story and I really hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**All comments are welcome (good or bad) and will be helpful in improving the overall story and character development. I also don't want any flames about the storyline. I had flames in my Halo FanFic about it not being canon to the Halo books, so if there are any flames please don't flame about my storyline not matching up with the actual storyline of the books. **

**If it just so happens if any of you read my Halo FanFic, this story is my redemption. I've cut my losses and hopefully this story is my comeback. This story is the first in a planned series of minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 books, depending on how many people like this story. So give your approvals if you like it and want to have a sequel . **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the right to the Guardians of Ga'Hoole franchise or any of its original characters created by Kathryn Lasky. **

**So with all that out of the way, here is the start of a new series and a new adventure. **

**Prologue **

"Mum!...Da!" a young masked owlet cried, looking out of the hollow entrance and into the deadly inferno that had reached the tree in which the young owl was perched. Fire slowly burnt its way up the bark. He views the forest fire scorching the land in front of him, with the raging inferno reflecting off his small black eyes. The heart lurching scene served as a prelude to the grizzly fate that awaited him. At the same time he looked to the cold night sky, hoping to see his parents coming to rescue him at any moment.

Right by his side was Perilya, - the family's blind nest maid, who gently wrapped her tail around the owlet in a comforting gesture.

"There, there now, young one. Don't you fret. Your parents will be here any second now" she comforted. Even though she could not see the fire, she could feel the heat emanating from outside and the smell of ash and burning foliage was ever-present.

'_What rotten timing it was for the owlet's parents to be out hunting'_ she thought.

A sudden burst of flame forced the owlet and the nest maid to retreat to the rear of the hollow. The fire had reached the threshold of the hollow and severely weakened the base of the tree. Perilya could already feel the old fir giving way beneath her. Smoke began to accumulate within the hollow and envelop the pair, which made Perilya wrap herself around the terrified owlet in a warm embrace, ready for the end.

"Trisden!" a voice called from outside.

The young owlet's eyes widened and he looked towards the hollow entrance at the sound of his name. "Mum!" he called, with a new found sense of hope extinguishing his fears. Warm tears ran down his heart-shaped face. A strong wind enters the hollow and blew some of the smoke away, allowing both Perilya and Trisden to see the silhouette of a Masked Owl, whom Trisden immediately recognized to be his mum.

"Trisden come quickly!" She called. The owlet ran to his mother's side, who then grabbed him with her talons before taking off. A second Masked Owl came into the hollow and rescued Perilya, and in one strong flap of its wings, they were away from the hollow, just as it was enveloped in flames.

Trisden looked back just in time to see the place he had once called home consumed by the blaze. A tear trickled down his face in sorrow. The strong, hot wind blew bits of ash and cinders at his eyes, forcing him to squint.

Trisden then looked back at his da. He was flying with Perilya in his talons following right behind them The young owlet then swiveled his head to face his mother. He could see the tension in her face as she flew faster than she ever had before to escape the hagsmire that this part of Ambala had become.

Trisden was overtaken by the roar of the fire. His little ear slits were unable to cope with the cacophony of crumbling trees, burning foliage, and the various pops and snaps of sparking embers. But he was also overcome by a warm sensation which helped him cope with the carnage. Not the heat emanating from the flames or the swirling currents of air, but the comforting feeling of security and love that only a mother could give. He realized that the fire may be strong and fatal but the warmth of security and love he feels was stronger. Being clutched in his mum's protective embrace allowed the owlet to endure the ordeal.

There was a loud cracking sound as a charred fir tree gave way and fell to the ground. Trisden felt his gizzard lurch when he heard a screeching sound as his father was hit by a stray branch.

Trisden's mother folded her wings and dove towards the ground. She stretched out her feathery appendages at the last moment - ceasing her decent a few feet from the forest floor. The young owlet searched the branches for his father. He suddenly caught sight of a brown plumage and pointed it out to his mother. The female flew over and hovered directly above her mate, who was still alive, but unable to move.

"Perilya! Where's Perilya?" Mariana shouted in order to be heard over the thunderous roar of the flames.

"I'm over hear ma'am!" A pinkish-red blind snake slithered its way over the branch the owlet's father was trapped under.

"Darling, please…." Dorian spoke with groans of pain in between words. "Keep going…. save our chick. Then come back for me"

"It's alright ma'am" Perilya said "I'll stay with him till you return"

Mariana fought the emotion to stay with her mate. The safety of their chick however is the number one concern. Trisden did not want to leave anymore than she did, but with the fire growing ever more violent, Mariana reluctantly flew off with Trisden. He was still clutched within her talons, as they headed towards the river just ahead of them.

Mariana spots a large burrow underneath one of the many fir trees near the river's edge and places the little owlet down at the mouth of the burrow. She pokes her head inside to see if any creature was there but found none.

"Trisden, dear," Mariana said. She picks up the little owlet and places him inside the burrow. "Stay here and I'll be right back" she continued, trying her best not to sound too fearful of the situation they were in. But Trisden, even at his young age felt his mum's deep concern. Trisden frantically objects to his mum's departure – wrapping his tiny unfledged wings around the writs of his mum's talons, and buries his face in the soft down of his mother's breast, with tears flowing down her brown and black flecked feathers.

Mariana is torn between leaving her owlet all by himself and rescuing her mate Dorian and the family's nest maid snake. Her gizzard churns with anxiety. She knows her mate desperately needs her help and that she will only be gone for a moment.

Gently, she moved Trisden to the far wall of the dirt hole, and after saying a final tearful farewell, exits the burrow and takes off into the night with a burning leaf lazily drifting behind her. Already, the sense of security Trisden had felt in his mother's talons was leaving him just as fast as his mother exited the burrow.

As soon as she had left, Trisden started running after her. His tiny talons, which were never meant for running at such an age, kicked up dirt as he waddled forward. He fumbles to the ground several times and coughed out bits of dirt which had entered his beak. Soon he finds himself crawling on all fours – his wings and talons. Clawing his way forward and after what felt like an eternity, reaching the burrow's entrance. As soon as he got back to a standing position, he is hit with a sudden force of shock and surprise from a burning branch, which had suddenly crashed in front of him. It knocks him backwards. In an uncontrollable tumble back into the burrow until he impacts a rock imbedded into the rear wall where he had started.

Lying on the ground with his back against the dirt floor he feels his vision failing and the world around him becoming a blur. He feels heat emanating from the burning piece of wood entering the burrow. Trisden finds himself in almost the exact same situation he had been when in the hollow with Perilya.

He stares at the entrance, blocked by the burning branch, expecting his mum and da to come to his rescue at any moment. Deeply he prays that they will rescue him. Desperately he wishes to be in his mother's talons, to have that overwhelming feeling of security and love. These thoughts linger over Trisden's mind like the blanket of smoke that has accumulated above him. Soon his vision fails completely - from a blur to complete darkness.

"Trisden…" a voice called "Trisden…". The young Masked shaking off his dizziness looks towards the burrow entrance which had beams of light showering into the borrow and shined on Trisden's black eyes, forcing him to raise his unfledged wing in an attempt to block out most of the light.

_What is this? Am I in Glaumora? _

The Masked owlet had no time to ponder this thought, as the voice yet again called his name. Two owl shaped silhouettes seemingly materialized at the burrow entrance - with the beams of light shining around the shadowy forms.

"Mum?... Da?" Trisden said in a low voice. He did not know how he knew it was his mum and da, for there was no distinct facial features on either of the shadowy masses to indicate such. Nor were there any features to indicate whether the forms were even those of Masked Owls.

"Mum!...Da!" The owlet nearly jumped at the realization. "I knew you would come back!" His eyes widened and his voice filled with renewed excitement. He immediately ran towards the dark figures, with wings stretched outwards – ready to embrace them. But to his surprise he passed right through the figures as if they were shadows. He made repeated attempts to grab hold of the silhouettes, with confusion beginning to replace his once overwhelming joy.

"Trisden my son…." The figure on the left said whose voice was clearly that of a male. The young Masked took a few steps back, looking up towards the towering forms.

"There is much we have to tell you, but it is for another time."

"Be warned that trials and great hardship lay ahead of you". The figure on the right was next to speak, and the clear tone of a female echoed through the burrow. Trisden remained speechless. He did not recognize either of the voices. Although for some strange reason he feels deep inside that he somehow knew the ghostly forms.

"You will be hated," the female voice continued. "You will be revered." Then the male voice took over. "But know that we will always be with you every step of the way…."

"Be strong my son…." the female voice spoke. "There is much for you to do, and much more for you to endure…." The silhouette's last word sounded faded away.

'_Much to be done? Much to enduia…er….eh…edue… Or whatever that last word was. What are they talking about?'_

Soon the forms, just as they had materialized into existence, began to slowly fade out into the light behind them.

"Wait!" The owlet screamed, running to the disappearing shadows and towards the light ahead.

"Wait!" This time he found himself, again, in the burrow. He was lying on ground, with a sharp pain at the back of his head. Immediately he stood back up, and looked towards the burrow entrance, with the branch still blocking the way. Light emanated from gaps between the branch, shinning down on the owlet. That was the moment the Masked realized that it was morning.

_Was it all a dream? _He thought.

A light haze lingered inside the burrow, with Trisden slowly making his way to the entrance. As he got closer he realized the branch that had blocked the entrance of the hollow was now a burnt husk and was brittle to the touch. He easily brakes through the barrier that impeded his path, coughing out the bits of ash and charcoal that broke off as he used his body to smash his way through. Upon coming out on the other side - and clearing his senses of anymore debris - he opens his ash cleared eyes and already he wished he was blind.

The forest around him was all gone. The great firs and pines all reduced to cinders and blackened husks. The ground was covered in a thick blanket of grayish white ash, and the sun was dimmed by a cloud-like haze, being only a ghostly orb in the distance. Like a moon in daytime. Trisden thought. It was as if the very sky had fallen to the ground.

Most horrifying of all was the great silence. No chirping of birds, no wing beats of an owl, no hissing and slithering of snakes could be heard. Not even the sound of insects. All he could hear was the sound of his own voice echoing into the distance, as he cries out in hopes that his parents would hear his pleas and save him. There was no reply. This was as close to hagsmire as the owlet could get, all alone in a barren wasteland that was once teaming with life, with parents whom he feared were dead.

"Mum!" The Masked cried out once more "Da!... Perilya!..." Deep in his mind, body, and gizzard he hopes despite the destruction around him, his parents and their dear nest maid had survived. This little speck of hope inside him, he holds onto tightly.

Suddenly Trisden hears the pulsing sound of wing beats coming high above towards his right-side. By the sound, he knew it was more than one pair of wings. The owlet turns towards the pulses and sets his gaze on the mist, as if he were trying to see right through it. The mist then begins to churn and circle into tiny spirals, as the beats got louder and louder to the owlet's sensitive ear slits. A dark figure penetrates the thick haze and lands in front of Trisden.

"Mum?...Da? -" were the first words he spoke, but he would soon find himself mistaken, as two more dark figures came out of the mist and landed on either side of the first figure. The owl shaped figure in the middle of the group lowered its head to look at the little ball of down before it.

Trisden immediately knew it was neither of his parents. Nor was this owl even a Masked! It had a heart shaped face like his mum and da but it was pure white and not the dark brown Masked Owls are known for. Tyto Albies…or Abl…eri, as his da called them. His parents had friends who looked just like the large owl which stood in front of him. But this owl looked weird to Trisden; in a matter of fact all three of these owls looked weird.

For one there was something on the heads of the two flanking owls, which reflected off bits of the dim sun light that had penetrated the mist around them, and made their voices resonate a little bit. By how it looks, it was heavy. The talons on the three owls also looked weird. It was seemingly made of the same material as the objects on their heads and looked really sharp. They way these objects were fashioned onto the talons looked unnatural to Trisden.

"Hi there little one" The Tyto Alba in the middle of the group was first to speak, lowering his head further in order to be heard by the owlet. "Are you lost?"

"I can't find my parents…." Trisden replied in a fearful tone.

The Barn owl rose to an upright posture before giving a small grin and a head gesture to his companions to his left and right. He lowered his head back down to the owlet, the grin still on his face.

"I'm truly sorry…. But we just found the corpses of two owls just as we heard your call" the Barn said, trying his best to sound sympathetic.

"But we should at least…" Trisden wanted to at least look at the bodies, just to be sure they were his parents, but is abruptly cut off by the Alba who seemed to know what he was about to say.

"Do you truly wish to see the corpses of your dead parents?" The Alba paused for several moments to let the words sink into the owlet, who seemed to diminish in size at that statement. Trisden shakes his head in reply.

'_All too easy' _thought the Barn Owl _'these owlets are so easy to fool'_, giving off a soft churr and another grin towards his compatriots who gave similar actions in response.

"I'm truly sorry for your loss…" The Barn raised himself back into an upright posture, wiping the grin off his face to look more courteous. "But fear not, as you shall be under our care from now on, and be part of an even bigger family!"

The Alba stretches out a wing, to which a frightened Masked Owlet slowly walks forward. As he did so, the Alba wrapped his wing around the little owlet. The Barn knows that this owlet is of the Tyto species but he does not know if it is an Alba or a Masked. This owlet was unfledged – a few weeks old at least - and has not yet developed flight feathers. The owlet retains the pure white down of most owlets of the Barn Owl species. If this owlet is a Masked then it will develop its brown toned feathers and facial disk in the weeks to come. This made it difficult to distinguish a Masked Owlet from that of an Alba.

"There, there now young 'in" The Alba gently patted the owlet with his wing. "Everything is going to be fine"

"The Pure Ones are your family now!"

**UP NEXT: Chapter 1 –**___**'The Knights of Shadows'**_

tighten it up - repetition (compact it better)


	2. The Knights of Shadows

**(Warning the following chapter may contain scenes - such as violence and blood - which maybe disturbing to some readers. Reader's discretion is advised)**

**Chapter 1 – The Knights of Shadows **

**Months Later **

Trisden dodged left, just as the Horned Owl lashed out with its talons, before immediately striking back with his own battle claws. They easily sink deep inside his opponent's chest. He withdraws his talons, allowing the carcass to fall into the forest floor below - making that his fourth kill of the day. Trisden hovers over the battlefield to catch his breath. With hard black eyes through his blackish-gray metal helmet, he observes the large skirmish before him - over the large forest of Silverveil. His Pure One brothers-and-sisters in arms, although outnumbered are better trained and have the advantage of battle claws, which the opposing force – a clan of different owl species - do not have in abundance.

It is more slaughter then battle.

Trisden was no longer the young owlet he was before. He has fully matured – having developed his species' signature light brown heart-shaped face, with a much darker brown facial disk. His back feathers and fully fledged wings were the same shade as his facial disk, with the coverts being of much lighter shade. Streaks of dark brown spots line his breast and lower torso.

He continues to survey the sky and spots amid the carnage his fellow knights battling it out against the foe. Kohl the _'Taurus'_, a Sooty Owl. Being a Sooty Owl meant he is the lowest rank of the knights due to the class system within the Pure Ones – although Trisden could not care less for such things. He believes that they are all of the Tyto species and should be treated equally.

'_There is no superiority in mistreating owls on the same side.' _although he keeps such thoughts to himself and not spoken out loud, as ideas like that could lead to severe punishment. Being in the Pure Ones, the word _'severe'_ is putting it lightly.

Even with the ridicule and low status, Kohl was not any less deadly. Watching from a distance Trisden saw Kohl charging head long into a formation of combatants. He targets a Great Gray within the formation, making contact with his helmet's pointed metal boss - striking the Gray in the back. The force of the blow is enough to break the Gray's spine, killing it instantly and leaving his body to join the many others that litter the ground beneath them.

Kohl always has a reputation for recklessness, always wanting to go into the thick of every battle and preferring to go up against owls much larger then himself whenever possible - particularly Great Grays. Although Grays are much larger and stronger then himself, he makes up for this by being just as aggressive and his smaller size allows him to out maneuver any Great Gray. He wished nothing more than to one day fight _Twilight _- the legendary Gray of Ga'Hoole himself.

Fighting close by was Lilith the _'Valkyrie'_. An Eastern Grass Owl who is known for her seductive tone of voice and deceitful, charismatic ways but also for her ruthlessness and cruelty. She is persuasive with both words and talons. Trisden sees her striking at a Barn Owl with great speed and flexibility. Reaching out to the Alba with her poison battle claws - specially forged claws with the index talon being much longer than the other three, which has a small hollow space. In it houses the liquid that give the weapon its namesake - with the left claw containing a lethal poison and the right containing a non-lethal but usually painful paralyzing agent. Lilith only has to flex her talons in a certain way for the gel like liquid to secrete from the space and onto the long blade which she wields with great proficiency. She takes pride in making her own poisons, taking it as an art form of sorts, from paralyzing neurotoxins, to poisons which have the potency to kill a bear if delivered properly. She sometimes brags that she can make a poison powerful enough to kill Glaux himself.

Lilith manages to find and exploit a gap in the Alba's strike pattern and delivers a blow to its torso with her _'right talon'_. Soon the Barn Owl begins to feel the effects of the toxin. His body begins to feel heavy as a cramp creeps from his wound towards his extremities. This soon follows to the wings which begin to stiffen. He is going 'yeep' without the need of the initial sudden shock or fear to get into such a state. Even if the Barn did not fear or was shocked by Lilith, he surely became fearful when his paralyzed but conscious form fell several dozen feet to his death.

It was that last, fearful and desperate look on the Alba's face before it fell to its doom that Lilith enjoys – giving off a sardonic grin. That last, hopeless expressions made by an owl whose life was coming to an end, and who are completely powerless to prevent it. The terror, the fear, and the despair are what Lilith feeds upon.

Trisden is the Knight of the '_Eclipse'_ and the leader of this group – _The Knights of Shadows_. Three of the best owls the Pure Ones have to offer, who answer only to the High Tyto, himself. Trisden singles out another Great Horned from amid the chaos. He immediately folds back his wings and dives straight towards his target – talons forward, ready to strike. A few meters from his target, something knocks him off course.

Something large and sharp.

He then finds himself plummeting to the earth. Trisden immediately spread out his feathered limbs to break his decent and level out. A stinging pain grabs the Knight's attention. He then looks to his port wing and finds three cuts along his shoulder. A large Owl then flies in front of him, and based on the fine black vermiculation and heavy stripes, Trisden concludes it is a Striped Owl. The first thing Trisden notices are the Owl's talons which are shielded with one of the largest and sharpest set of battle claws he had ever seen – stained with his life giving fluid. Large ear tufts – similar to the tufts of a Great Horned Owl – protrudes out from its decorative helmet with light illuminating parts of its white face with tabs of brown and a pure black facial disk, and reflecting off its light brown eyes. The decorative helmet - the Masked Owl knows all too well, indicates nothing other than the clan chief of this region.

This was his chance. If Trisden could kill the leader his followers would scatter and the battle won. Without another moments thought the knight charged his attacker who also charges in response. There was a loud series of grinding and clanging of metal-on-metal contact as Trisden and his opponent locked talons in the ever growing cadre of noise and chaos of the battle around them. Both Trisden and the clan chief found themselves spiraling in the air as the cold black eyes of a Masked Owl came in contact with the bright brown eyes of a Striped. Each one struggled to throw the other off balance and gain the advantage. The clan chief was bigger than Trisden, and most likely stronger.

Trisden jerks left and right to try and use his opponent's size and weight against him and turn him upside down. At the same time Trisden spread out his wings in order to keep himself balanced. After a few jerks, Trisden immediately changes tactics – seeing the futility of his action. The Knight immediately cocks his head backwards and with one swift and powerful action, makes contact with the exposed facial area of his adversary with his armored forehead. The Striped Owl let go and tumbles slightly backwards from the impact.

The Clan Leader shakes off his dizziness, only to find the Masked Owl following up on his attack with his battle claws. The Stripe banks right and evades the strike. With talons open, he counter-attacks. He slashes and strikes wildly and aggressively at Trisden, using his immense size and strength to full effect. Trisden blocks one of Stripe's powerful blows and is knocked some distance back.

Knowing all too well that a he cannot fight the clan leader in a talon-to-talon fight, he dives down towards the forest below, with his opponent in tow. Without looking back, the knight levels out just as he penetrates the forest ceiling, and immediately changes course towards a nearby fir. Trisden hugs the bark just as the clan leader breaks the ceiling, not having noticed Trisden's sudden change in direction. The Striped Owl flies past Trisden, and is shocked to find the knight no longer in sight. The enemy leader is now directly below Trisden, who immediately exploits his advantage.

A sudden churning in the air alerts the Stripe of what is coming, he turns to face his rear - but is too late to react. He sees the Knight of Shadows, with the force of gravity at his side, descending upon him - making contact with claws extended. The momentum of the charge has both the knight and the clan leader hurtling towards the ground. Trisden closes his transparent third eye lids just before impact to shield his eyes, as a cloud of dirt, dust, and feathers erupts outwards in all directions at the point of impact. Trisden is first to emerge from the cloud – claws dripping red. He slowly walks away from where he and the Striped had landed, confident of his victory. He soon regrets the action as a burning pain over takes him and is knocked down by a forceful blow to his side.

Trisden shrieks and groans in pain as he turns his head to look towards his right waist – the source of the discomfort. There, three deep cuts along his side with liquid scarlet flowing outwards –the sight of his injuries seemed to increase the pain. Suddenly, the adversary he had thought was dead lashes out from the lingering cloud of dust with his claws. Instinctively Trisden rolls his body right to evade the charge, ignoring the pain that followed.

'_Always make sure your opponent is dead.' _ He thought '_A beginner's mistake!'_

Despite the discomfort, Trisden recovers from the roll and gets back up to his talons – the Striped Owl clan leader standing before him having swelled to twice its size, with rage bursting from its brown eyes. Trisden could almost feel the owl's hatred – hatred for 'him!'. The Stripe's chest was drenched in blood oozing form the eight puncher wounds Trisden had delivered with his battle claws. How this owl was alive, let alone standing and still having the strength to strike back was beyond him. None the less, the leader was wounded, bleeding out, and would not last much longer with such injuries.

Trisden flaps his wings, wanting to maneuver and strike from the flank, but on the first flap a burst of pain from his wounds forces him back down to the dirt.

'_Racdrops!... That hurts!' _

Trisden's adversary immediately exploits his failed maneuver. The Striped was several feet off the ground with one stroke of his massive wings, before immediately descended on the wounded knight. Once again, Trisden rolls right - agitating his wounds even further – just as the clan leader's claws made contact with the ground. The force of the charge, combined with his weight, imbedded his talons deep into the earth. Trisden recovers from the roll – using the momentum to get back up to his talons.

The clan chief is stuck – frantically trying to free himself from the hard soil. Trisden takes notice to the chief's predicament. He folds back his wings and takes one last look at his opponent before lowering his head along with his body. He charges with his battle helmet at the lead. He jumps at the last moment allowing his full body weight to impact the Striped Owl - straight at his midsection. The force of the blow frees the chief's claws from the ground, but knocks the air out of his lungs and is driven back several feet away. Trisden recovers, dazed from the impact and expecting the lifeless corps of a Striped Owl. To his amazement the owl was still alive – rising back up from the ground.

'_Great Glaux!... This owl just won't frinking die!' _

The clan chief once again engages the knight, striking at him with renewed determination. Trisden although his injuries are too close to his starboard wing, is incapable of true flight. But he can still lift himself a few feet off the ground with one stroke of the wings before the pain over-takes him. He uses these small bursts of flight to dodge and even confuse and misdirect his opponent. Despite his injuries, that owl seemed to be tapping into some deep reserve of energy to keep on fighting. Even with its vigorous strikes coming at him Trisden could sense that the Owl was getting tired – even with its large size, endurance, and determination, it was still an owl. But he too was getting tired, and fatigued. The pain of his wounds is continuously eating away at him. With every flap and beat of his starboard wing he agitates the wounds further, increasing the intensity of the pain thus making it harder to concentrate. Trisden knew he could not let such things distract him. He was a Pure One and a Knight of Shadows. He cannot falter.

The Striped owl lashes out with one of his talons. Trisden easily dodges the strike but is caught off guard by the Striped, who followed up his attack by simply ramming Trisden - who was in mid-flight – with his body. Knocking the knight off balance, causing him to crumble to the ground. Before he could even catch his breath - let alone recover from the strike - Trisden finds the clan chief coming at him again with a strike from one of its claws. There was no time for another roll to dodge the oncoming blow. Time seemed to slow down for Trisden as the deadly metal blades came ever closer towards him. The line between life and death was beginning to thin.

Being close to death reminded him of his days in training. When he had fully fledged and had learned how to fly, he was immediately brought through lessons and drills in how to fight. He was one of many other trainees, who were divided into groups of four. In his group were his future knights–in–arms: Lilith and Kohl. The fourth and eldest member of their group was a Tyto Alba by the name of Kludd. The four Tytos became close as they went through training together. Although _'friends'_ maybe too strong of a word to describe their bond, on the other hand _'enemies'_ is a word Trisden wouldn't use either. _'Close acquaintances'_ is the best term he could come up with as the middle ground between friends and enemies. He and Kludd surprisingly got along well. Masked Owls being a rank lower then Tyto Albas did not seem to bother Kludd that much.

They were all trained to obey the officers and their betters. Trained in the basic arts of combat – first bare-taloned then with battle claws. Trisden was conditioned to become a soldier along with many others, and eventually he was selected to become a knight.

Trisden had learned how to kill other owls before he knew how to hunt mice and vole.

The most unforgettable moment was his first sparring match – occurring after about a month of training to evaluate how each owl had progressed. He had fought against a Tyto Alba that night, who was the same age as himself at that time – fledged wings and his down replaced by pure white feathers.

That was a night Trisden would never forget, because that was the night he truly became a Pure One.

"STRIKE HARDER!" commanded a Tyto Alba, who viewed the two fighting Barn Owls in front of him – a Masked Owl and another Alba like himself.

"WATCH YOUR OWN MOVEMENTS AS WELL AS THE MOVEMENTS OF YOUR OPPONENT!" He shrieked, after seeing the Masked Owl misstepping, thus losing his bearings and topples to the ground. His Alba opponent immediately pounced on him and began to savagely beat him with bare-talons.

"That's enough!" the inspecting Alba thundered, seeing that the young Masked is unable to defend himself any longer. The sparring Alba withdrew to one side of the training circle. Surrounding the two dueling owls were dozens of other trainees, all of the different species of the Tyto family, all settled on perches overlooking the circle. Their trainer 'Davlon' – the Tyto Alba who has been observing the sparring matches – rested on a perch at the very base of the circle, but one that gave enough elevation to have a commanding view of the arena.

Davlon had been nicknamed by many trainees as the "Flying Cadaver" because he quite literally looks like one! The first time Trisden set his eyes on the Alba it made him sick to his stomach. Months before, Davlon had gotten into a fight with a bald eagle and somehow lived to tell about it. The end result was nothing less than what one would expect when an owl took on a bird of prey three times his own size – one with talons that could claw out an owl's face with one swoop. Scars, talon, and beak marks riddle his feathered form, head-to-talon. There wasn't a single part of his body that had escaped unscathed. Not only did Davlon have the appearance of a corpse, he also had the attitude of one – cold and heartless. Since his brawl with the eagle, the veteran owl – formerly a member of the Pure Guard - had been reassigned as a training instructor for all new recruits in the "Arena".

The "Arena" – as it was called – was a large walled space within the Pure One castle in the border between Ambala and Tyto Forest. A structure of immense size and great age – an age old testament to the legacy of the Others. The training circle itself was nothing more than pieces of rubble arranged in a large circle to form the outline, with a layer of dirt poured and compacted within – nothing fancy but it served its purpose. The space that all the owls were in was surrounded by four stone walls, with two of them partially damaged – a large hole in the ceiling overhead meeting at the corner of two walls. A large stained glass window adorned the wall which faced the outside world.

Although partially damaged along its corners, the image remained intact. The window depicted a scene of two legged creatures – most likely the Others – clad in metal and wielding sharp metal objects. Some of the Others were shown to be mounted on some sort of four legged beasts and held long pointed spears, as Trisden would describe it.

"_Violence and conflict seems to be a trait which penetrates the barriers between species" _Trisden had thought.

Many of the Others depicted wore some sort of white garment with a black cross. The stained glass had peaked not just Trisden's curiosity the first time he seen the image, but also that of his group mate - Kludd.

He and Kludd looked through several books in the old library within the castle. The library had row after row of shelves with hundreds of books, dozens more were stacked on top of one another in the corners of the large chamber. The size and age of the library gave Trisden the impression that the library was a place where the Others had once used to congregate in.

With only the black cross as a reference, they breezed through images in dozens of books over the course of several weeks – mostly having to sneak out of their sleeping perches during the daylight hours to continue their quest. They found images of Others clad in metal or _'armor' _as it was called. A word they came across in their research.

Although these _'knights' _– again a word the duo came across used to refer to these armored Others – did wear some sort of garment with a crest or symbol, it was however not a black cross. Eventually they found what they were looking for - the _"Teutonic Order"_. A ruthless organization of knights who had struck fear into every enemy they faced. Vicious, courageous, and terrifying in battle these warriors were the scourge of the land. They were the very embodiment of fear and horror, whose cruelty knew no bounds– the stuff of daymares. Many of the pages containing further information about the order were either damaged or missing - having been sitting on the library shelf for _"who knows how long?"_ with letters, words, or even entire sentences having faded to almost nothing. They also had to be careful in turning the pages as some are almost brittle to the touch.

Both Barn Owls were intrigued by what little knowledge they found – eventually inspiring Kludd to form the Knights of Shadows when he became High Tyto. The similarity between the Teutonic Order and the Pure Ones lead the two owls to speculate that the order of knights may have been the inspiration for the formation of the Pure Ones. Even the names were eerily similar – "Tytonic Union of Pure Ones" in comparison to the "Teutonic Order".

Davlon flew off his perch, down into the sparing circle – landing right in front of the Masked Owl, who was still down on the ground, taking in deep breaths of air as if they were his last.

"You are an absolute disgrace!" Davlon ridiculed. He then struck the downed owlet with the backside of his talon - directly at the stomach. The owlet, already bruised, with pain emanating all over his body, was subjected to further discomfort from the blow. Davlon then walked away from the owlet, calling on for another pair of trainees.

"I'm not finished" a voice called from behind the trainer.

Davlon swiveled his head to face who had spoken those words – although he already knew there was only one owl behind him whom it could have been. Davlon faced the Masked Owl, who was bringing himself up to his talons – his legs trembling as he found his bearings.

"I'm not finished" Trisden spoke again, in a fiercer tone of voice – narrowing his gaze on his Alba opponent on the far side of the circle.

"I have not yet yielded!" the owlet spat. He could feel the eyes of every owl in the area looking at him, but he shook off the feeling as a distraction.

Davlon's eyes widened. _'There's more fight in this owlet then I thought'_

Davlon then swiveled his head back, to face the Abla trainee. He then gave a head gesture to the owl before flying back up to his perch overlooking the training circle. Both the Masked and Tyto Alba meet at the center of the arena.

Trisden was bruised and bloodied. Scratches and light claw marks were visible in almost every part of his body. However he did manage to score a few good strikes on the young Barn – giving him a few bruises and scratches of his own. But for the most part the Alba was in far better shape than he was.

They begin circling one another with their feathers ruffled making them look nearly twice their size. They lower their bodies and heads nearly perpendicular to the ground, whilst spreading out their wings – pointing downwards, in a basic defensive posture.

A bright full moon shined down upon the two Tytos, from a break in the ceiling above them - its radiant white light bathing them in its ghostly glow. The moon shined on the Alba's black marble eyes, glinting off their surface. The glints allowed Trisden to partially see past the blackness of his opponent's eyes and almost to his pupils. The eyes were said to be the gateway into one's soul. The eyes could betray an owl's next action or reveal his current state of mind, and the Masked had just noticed a sudden contraction in his opponent's pupils.

There were no cues to signal the start of a match. No quotes like _"go" _or _"start", _no waving or whistle blowing. In the heat of battle there are no such signals to tell when combatants can attack one another. The matches themselves were meant to simulate that the enemy will attack you at the first opportunity – ready or not.

The Alba surged forward - its head lowered. Trisden dodged right to avoid the mass of feathers. The Tyto Alba - having missed its mark – brought its talons back down. Its talons skidded over the blanket of dirt packed into the circle, with its claws slicing through the layer – the force of his attack drives him past Trisden. The Masked Owl counter-attacked but the Alba easily moved to his right, evading the attack, before assaulting with a jab to Trisden's flank.

A tightly closed talon impacted the Masked Owl's waist, followed by a head-butt towards his midsection, sending the weakened owl back down onto the dirt.

Davlon rolled his eyes and gave a sigh of apathy at the scene.

The Barn Owl went back down to ground level and continued to mercilessly beat the downed owl. Trisden could only see a blurred mass of feathers as blow after blow made contact with his face – distorting his vision and senses of the world around him.

Trisden knew he had to act fast if he was going to turn the tide on the Alba. Following his training, Trisden struck the Alba with the palms of his talons, forcing the Barn back. Trisden raised himself back up, with the Alba's strikes seeming to have only galvanized him to press on. With a renewed fire of determination within him, Trisden struck at his opponent. He jabbed left and right, striking quickly and violently. The Barn was caught unprepared for the barrage of punches assailing him – having spent most of his energy on the offensive. Trisden delivered one last strike right across the Alba's face, but in the heat of the fight and having struck at such a quick pace. Trisden's last strike was made with his talon not completely clenched. So when his talon made contact, Trisden's claws also burrowed deep into the Barn's face.

The Tyto Alba regressed backwards, with its head lowered and a talon pressed hard against his new found affliction.

"You impure sprink!" The Barn Owl spat in anger, while raising his head to the Masked Owl. The action reveled three deep cuts that went diagonally across his face with droplets of blood flowed down from them, staining his breast red.

Trisden had never heard the word "sprink" spoken out loud before - it being the worst swear word in the Hoolien language that an owl could say - even for the Pure Ones. It was more than the physical pain that lead the Alba to swear. Trisden's opponent was a Tyto Alba, and he himself was a Masked Owl. The Pure One social class put Masked Owls a step below Albas – meaning Masks are considered less pure then Albas, and were supposedly more inferior. So, in retrospect, Trisden had given a far worse injury to the Alba.

He had wounded the Barn Owl's pride – his Tyto pride.

The Tyto Alba retaliated. He struck at Trisden. Not with clenched talons but open ones. Trisden was unprepared for the Alba's change in tactics – this was no longer a routine training exercise. This was a fight to the death! Trisden instinctively jumped backwards – avoiding the first strike. The Alba came at him again with another swing from his right talon. Trisden backed off again – the Barn's talons came within millimeter of his plumage. The Barn then rushed straight at Trisden with both talons extended. With his training beginning to kick in Trisden flaps his wings and flies over and behind his adversary to avoid the strike.

Davlon, seeing the duel unfolding before him shouts at the two owlets to break their engagement.

"Stand down the both of you!" He repeated. Ohhh… how he hated repeating himself, especially to trainees.

His words however fell on deaf ear slits. Every other trainee watched on in awe as the Tyto pair continued fighting, Trisden himself resorting to using his talons to defend himself – running through the maneuvers and techniques he had learned over the last month, and within a heartbeat he singled out what was most appropriate for the given situation. He hurled himself at the Tyto Alba but was stopped in his tracks by a wall of feathers.

Davlon had flown down from his perch and spread out his wing in between the two owlets – separating them before they could reengage one another.

"This has gone on far enough" Davlon thundered. "The both of you go back to your respective groups. NOW!"

But even Davlon's intervention could not stop the Alba. It wasn't about let a less pure owl then himself fly away just like that. The Alba flung a talon at Davlon's wing, leaving clean cut marks on his limb – adding to the Pure One instructor's assortment of afflictions and forcing him to withdraw his wing. With the path clear, the Alba once again leapt at Trisden with its talons. Trisden had anticipated the Alba would do something as reckless as that – it having been swallowed by its own pride to think clearly.

Trisden quickly lifted himself off the ground in a hover and in a quick fluid motion, he grabbed the Alba in the face with his talon – halting its assault. He then tackled the Alba to the ground with all his might. The Alba impacted the floor head-over-talon. Even with the layer of dirt, which was supposed to provide a form of shock absorber, it was still a violent collision, and Trisden at that moment thought he had heard something crack.

"YIELD!" the Masked Owl shrieked. His blood still boiled with anger, and his talons still gripping tightly on the Barn Owl's face. The Masked repeated the one syllable word a few times more – his shrieks echoing within the confines of the Arena. Unbeknownst to Trisden, the crack he had heard was the Alba's skull fracturing on impact with the floor – his full body weight having been forced on that single point of impact. The Alba was too disorientated and weakened to speak, let alone raise a talon in submission.

Trisden, unaware of the Alba's condition and having just been ruthlessly attacked by the Tyto - the Barn having already proven it was unwilling to abide by the rules - wasn't about to take any chances. The second Trisden grabbed his opponent in the face, he had already thought of three ways to kill the Alba – the result of the training he had received. Trisden decided on the first of the three. In the heat of the moment and with his opponent having not yielded, Trisden lifted his opponent's head and suddenly and forcibly, he smashed the Alba's head at the circle floor – hurling bits of dirt in the air on impact. With the second blow the Alba was dead, but Trisden did not stop. He continued to bash the head of his dead enemy against the dirt, shrieking and shouting all the while in a blind rage.

Davlon immediately stepped in and pulled the Masked Owl away from the corpse. Two Pure One soldiers in full battle gear – battle claws and all – flew down from their perches and restrained the owlet who was still giving out-bursts of maddening yells. Eventually the Masked calmed down, and began to recover his wits.

Trisden felt weak and every limb in his body was aching from exhaustion. The first thing he noticed was the small puddles of blood which turned the compacted soil within the training circle into a dark cherry red. The puddles surrounded one lifeless Tyto Alba in the very center of the circle. Its feathers were ruffled and untidy, its beak wide open, its wings spread out flat across the floor, and its black marble eyes no longer possessed the luster and spark of life it once held.

Trisden could feel his stomach lurch as he stared at the gruesome scene - he felt as if he was about to yarp.

'_I did that?' _

Trisden remembered everything that had transpired, but it was still hard for him to believe what he had done. He was still an owlet. A little over a month past fledging and he had already killed someone - in the most brutal and merciless fashion he could think of! Even Davlon, the Pure One instructor was surprised by what this owlet had done. There had been accidents and fatalities in the training circle before, but never like this.

No amount of training could have prepared Trisden for this. He could have trained for a full year and it still would not have readied him for the first time he would take the life of another. He was overwhelmed with emotion, but mostly that of fear. Fearful of what he had done, fearful of what he was turning into, and fearful of what would happen next. How would Davlon respond to this? Would he be killed as well?

To his surprise, the Alba instructor started laughing.

"Well done my boy!" he said with a joyful hoot. In a society which valued anger and hate more than courage, Davlon had good reason to be happy.

Trisden raised his head in astonishment to watch the Alba instructor, who measured more than twice times his size, step in front of him. The instructor then waved off the two soldiers in Trisden's flanks, before giving him a few taps on the head and turning to the other trainees around them who stood frozen in their perches in shock and disbelief.

"Let this be a lesson to each and every one of you!" Davlon announced as he began pacing around the training circle. The sound of his voice had every owlet snap into attention.

"That in battle there are no rules! Your enemy will never play fair! You turn your back on your opponent; expect to be stabbed in the back! No regrets! No remorse! No mercy! You give none thus you must expect none in return! Remember that always!"

Davlon's words were as cold as ice and as fierce as fire – solid, unyielding, and straight to the point. "If the enemy shows you mercy in battle, be sure not to return it!"

With that, Davlon once again turns to face the young Masked whose eyes remained transfixed on the dead Barn Owl.

"Don't think you're out of trouble just yet." He spoke. "You still killed one of my trainees and disobeyed an order to disengage. Thus as punishment, half-rations for the next three cycles."

Trisden gave no reply. At the time Trisden couldn't care any less about his punishment. He had just savagely killed an owl in cold blood. He felt a part of him had died that night – having crossed a line from which there was no going back. Nights later he continued into the more advanced tiers of combat and flying. In another one of his sparring matches he gave a severe injury to a young Masked Owl like himself. Hours later Trisden was informed the Masked had died from her wounds. This time Trisden did not feel as bad, even though he knew for sure the Masked would die the moment they rushed her to the infirmary. He did not feel as much guilt as he did with the Alba – he didn't even flinch.

Months later - with his training complete – he participated in his first ever battle, in which he took his third and fourth kills. In the succeeding skirmishes and engagements that followed he would take even more lives. Eventually it just became second nature to him - it became as natural and as much a part of him as flying is for owls. The more lives he took, the easier it became to kill – with every new kill being easier than the last.

Overtime he even stopped feeling anything for his victims - having grown accustomed to Pure One cruelty. Although Trisden was not sadistic in anyway, he was simply used to the violence and cruelty to a point where he was no longer emotionally affected by it anymore - having done more than his fair share of _'dirty work'. _

When Kludd became High Tyto, he had his three group mates gather together to form an elite special unit – 'The Knights of Shadows'. As none of the three Tytos – Trisden, Lilith, and Kohl – were not Tyto Albas, making them ineligible to go through the _'Special Ceremony' _or Tupsi - "Tytonic Union Pure Special Initiation". The three owls were, instead to be _'knighted'_. They were each knighted on different cycles during the daylight hours – having to recite an oath of loyalty and obedience to the High Tyto before being given their respective titles to go along with their names - Lilith being given _'Valkyrie'_ and Kohl, _'Taurus'. _

During Trisden's _'knighting ceremony',_ as he finished reciting his oath, a strange event occurred. The sun had suddenly vanished beneath a black orb in the sky. An _'eclipse,'_ as it was called. A _'solar eclipse'_ to more precise, where the moon partially or completely covered the sun – blocking out sun light and turning day into night. This was the event which made Kludd decide to give Trisden the title _'Eclipse'. _

The clan leader's claws came surging forward. With no time to evade the strike, Trisden – still laying down on his backside - does the only thing he could think of at that moment to survive. He depresses his head to allow his helmet to take the full force of the strike. The Stripe's iron claws deflect off Trisden's helm - causing sparks to burst from the impact. The Striped retracts his left talon back for another strike, during which Trisden quickly slashes the unprotected wrist of his opponent's right talon. Trisden's battle claw cuts through the flesh and bone – easily severing the limb. The emanating pain is far too great for even the stubbornness and determination of the clan leader. He is forced to the ground by the laceration – shrieking grunts and swears all the while.

Trisden's war gear is not made of any ordinary metal. They are made of metal extracted from a fallen star recovered by the Pure Ones in Tyto Forest. Kludd had the Rouge Smith of Silverveil forge the metal into a pair of claws and a helm around the same time he had his Mu metal mask forged by the same rouge smith. They were then given to Trisden, upon being knighted and proclaimed the leader of the Knights. The material is by far the lightest and strongest metal known to owl kind – capable of penetrating armor almost as well as it cleaves through an owl's gizzard.

The once mighty and supposedly invincible leader begins squirming in agony from the excruciating pain. Trisden raises himself off the ground, gasping for breath. In a heartbeat Trisden has already thought of over six ways to finish off the Striped – having grown in experience since his match with the Alba. Trisden has become a more efficient and effective soldier.

The Masked decides on the second option and flies on top of his downed opponent, and raises a talon - ready to deliver the decisive strike to the Stripped Owl's cervical.

Trisden has never had any delusions that his actions were ever righteous or just. As such he can never say he is proud of most, if not all of the things he has done – having probably committed over three life times worth of sin. Guaranteeing him a place in hagsmire for certain - most especially for what he did in Ambala. The memories of that place still haunt his mind – like a wound that never heals - not of what he did but of how he felt at that time.

Ever since Ambala, Trisden has second guessed his actions. He had thought out the reasons for why he does what he does, for why he serves an organization whose principles he does not fully believe in. Being a Pure One himself, where could he possibly go? How would it be possible for him to fit into society after a lifetime of violence and hate, after everything he has done? After all the lives he's taken – innocent or not – is there still a chance for him to make things right?

He might not agree with the Pure One's methods, but having been raised, trained, and conditioned by them all his life, Trisden feels he belongs nowhere else. He is trained to follow orders and instructions to the letter and engages enemies with extreme prejudice.

The Striped sets its sights on the Masked Owl, as a set of metal clad talons penetrate deep into his throat. The clan leader chokes on its own blood as it struggles for breath.

'_No regrets, No remorse, No mercy'_ - the words of his former instructor repeat themselves in Trisden's mind.

Trisden thrusts and twists his talons deeper and soon the gurgling and struggling cease. He holds steady – his claws still imbedded inside the bloodied corps of the Striped Owl. In that instant all doubt had fled from Trisden's mind, any contemplation of redemption had vanished. Deep inside, he knows after the atrocities he has committed, there is no going back.

Deep inside he knows he is a Pure One, through and through.

**UP NEXT: Chapter 2 – **_**'The Lord Most Pure'**_

**A/T: Trisden's name is derived from Sir Tristram, one of the knights in King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. **


End file.
